SLOWING DOWN
This is it. I just checked the odometer on my car and it registered 3,012 km for Jan. Most of that was for birding like the quick trip to Cowichan on Sat. for the dip on the Brambling. Now, Jan. is supposed to be a slow month for birding. There are supposed to be fewer birds and nastier weather. That was true for both counts, but somehow even the slightest hint of sun or even filtered light got me out. I've got to face it. I'm a "birdaholic" and I need help before my wife kicks me out of our nest for all the chores I've been neglecting. From now on I've got to limit myself to once or twice a week. The rest of the time the camera stays locked up. With early spring and the herring spawn just around the corner, withdrawal is going to be painful ... Do you know anyone willing to adopt an orphaned photographer?
Jan. 27 - Another amazing warm, sunny irresistable day. The thought of fixing the kitchen tap never even crossed my mind. It was a birding day. I would start off by visiting the Brant and scoters in Parksville then work my way down to the Nanaimo River Estuary to check out the Snowy Owl and if I were lucky, Shorty, the Short-eared Owl.
About 3 weeks ago, GUY had spotted the Snowy at the Nanaimo Estuary. I had been hesitant to go there because of all the duck hunting and stray shots. I felt more comfortable now that hunting season was over. It took me about 20 minutes to find the Snowy sitting on some logs. Earlier photos by RALPH HOCKEN showed blood stains over the left eye, but all that remained now were some brown smudges. Maybe the Snowy didn't know it was a diurnal hunter as it slept the whole time I was there. The only action I got was when it opened its eyes. On the way past Lantzville I stopped at Sebastion Park to check out the seabird situation. Yesterday a huge mass of gulls, loons, cormorants, and ducks were sitting on 2 km. school of herring. There were only few birds today, but in about 3 weeks the herring spawn should be happening, and it'll be "bird-mania" around here. Ever since I botched the photo of a Black Scoter eating a clam, I've returned to Parksville Beach several times looking for redemption. The trick was to find a time when it was sunny and nobody was around. The scoters wouldn't come close to shore if there were people or dogs around. That's close to impossible as it's a very popular area. The best I've done so far was a distant shot of a Surf Scoter munching on a clam. While I was at Lantzville, a male Common Goldeneye was feeding fairly close in. It seemed to be engrossed in foraging in one particular spot and didn't mind my presence. Unfortunately, I was trying to balance on a very slippery rock so didn't dare play around with reprogamming the camera for better tone control. A few minutes later, RALPH stopped by and as we were exchanging camera information, a Spotted Sandpiper landed on the rocks. I hadn't seen the bouncing butt since last summer. Several "Spotties" are know to winter in the Nanaimo area. It's difficult to get close to small birds at the Nanaimo Estuary because it is such vast open area. Such was the case for the Northern Shrike that landed in a tangled mess of willows. But, I enjoyed seeing the bird even if I didn't get the perfect picture. BONUS BIRD - The only Short-eared Owl I've seen on the Island was the one released by MARS recently. I was lucky to catch a glimpse of one at the estuary before it disappeared into the next field. Jan. 30 - LONGTAIL DAY - I haven't had a good Longtail day all winter as neither the weather nor ducks have cooperated on any of the many occasions I have stopped there. Blue skies greeted me as I headed north. Would the Longtails be there? My first stop was Parksville to see if the scoters were close in. As expected, they weren't as construction of some new beach facilities was going on. However, a friendly female Common Goldeneye was working the shoreline looking for crabs and other invertebrates. There must have been a good supply of food as the duck was diving and eating regularly. Notice the perfect diving technique - not a single ripple so far. The judges will have to give it a perfect score! THE LAW OF REPETITIVE OCCURENCES - Have you ever noticed that when you buy a new car with a new colour that suddenly it seems the streets are full of the same thing. Last Journal featured the male Common Merganser so here we go again. Actually, there was a point I wanted to make, and that was to show you the plumage on the rear of the bird. The non-breeding plumage of the male is similar to the female and some of that is evident on the posterior of the duck. There have been a half dozen Greater Scaup hanging out on the inside of the spit. If you keep still, they will come right into shore to feed on whatever the tide was bringing in. LONGTAIL TIME, AT LAST - With the herring spawn only weeks away, it won't be long before all the ducks in the area will be congregating in massive flocks wherever the herring spawn. If you want a close visit with the Long-tailed Ducks, I suggest you do it in the next 2 weeks. It was almost a picture perfect day with only a few clouds to obscure the sun occasionally. I often wonder if the ducks would come closer if I set up a blind. I couldn't see anything spooking the ducks, but they decided it was time to go. They circled once and headed for Denman which was also a signal for me to head home. NANAIMO - BACKYARD WILDBIRD & NATURE STORE SAVE-ON FOODS (WOODGROVE) SAVE-ON FOODS (COUNTRY CLUB) CHAPTERS FALCONER BOOKS COLE'S PORT ALBERNI - CLOCKTOWER GALLERY COURTENAY - GRAHAM'S JEWELLERS SAVE-ON FOODS SIDNEY - VICTORIAN BIRD HOUSE COMOX - BLUE HERON BOOKS BOWSER - LIGHTHOUSE GIFTS DEEP BAY - SAANICH - WILD BIRDS UNLIMITED VICTORIA - BOLEN BOOKS MUNRO'S CAMPBELL RIVER - CAMPBELL RIVER MUSEUM BOOK BONANZA SAVE-ON FOODS DUNCAN - VOLUME 1 BOOKSTORE CHEMAINUS - LITTLE SHOP OF NOVELS LADYSMITH - SALAMANDER BOOKS NANOOSE - SCHOONER COVE MARINA SOOKE - SOOKE HARBOUR HOUSE
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